Since being listed as a World Heritage Site, the ancient city of Sri Ksetra has seen a surge of visitors, reviving the town’s tourism industry, officials say. U Zaw Myo Kyaw, deputy director of the department of Archaeology and National Museum told The Myanmar Times yesterday that Sri Ksetra is the most popular among visitors to the three ancient Pyu cities. The other two, Halin and Beikthano, were also listed.

“Visitor numbers rose after the UNESCO listing. It’s an easy day trip from Yangon,” he said.

While U Zaw Myo Kyaw could not provide exact figures to show the increase since the sites were listed in June 2014, he said tourist numbers have increased from 600 in 2010-2011 to about 9000 in 2014-2015.